This invention relates to an apparatus and method for rendering sanitary (i.e. germ-free) a contact surface, such as a door handle, on a continuous basis.
For safety and sanitary reasons, hospitals, laboratories and commercial establishments are increasingly in need of means for maintaining sanitary certain facilities within their premises such as kitchen and washroom areas. Typically, a form of soap and hand drying method is provided within such facilities but it is known that a percentage of the population does not adhere to effective hand washing following consumption of food and/or using washroom facilities, or following the handling of chemicals, reagents, etc. within a hospital or laboratory, and this results in the transfer of germs, bacteria and/or viruses to surface areas which come into contact with individuals. Moreover, the provision of a soap and hand drying facility is relatively expensive because it requires labour to maintain and may also involve energy costs and wastage costs.
A lesser known means of protecting contact surfaces against the spread of germs is disclosed in published Canadian Patent Application No. 2,296,152 in the name of Lane Kendall Herman which appears to have been filed Jan. 12, 2000 and published on Jun. 20, 2000. That application discloses a sanitation system for dispensing an alcohol-based sanitiser over a surface (such as a door handle) by using touch controlled external or internal nozzles to spray the handle after it has been used and sensors to sense when the handle is being touched. The apparatus and method therein disclosed deposits (but does not retain) a sanitiser onto a contact surface and, thus, requires that the sanitiser be a highly volatile chemical (i.e. alcohol) in order that it evaporate quickly so as to leave the handle relatively dry soon after it is treated. Such fluids are not desirable for general use due to their relatively high flammable nature. The apparatus and method therein disclosed also undesirably uses a touch flow control system, for controlling the flow of the volatile fluid based on touch, and such flow systems are not desirable because they typically provide uneven coverage of the fluid due to the non-porous nature of the surface areas typically contemplated and the low viscosity of a nozzle-sprayed alcohol-based fluid. Additionally, a touch-activated flow control system is subject to cause flooding of the handle, and dripping of fluid onto the floor, if used repetitively.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide an improved and cost-effective means for providing a sanitising, safe material to a surface contact area. It is further desirable to provide means for evenly controlling and distributing such a sanitiser.
In accordance with the invention there is provided an apparatus and method for providing a contact surface which is continuously sanitized with a sanitizing fluid. A reservoir contains the sanitizing fluid. A contact material having a porous contact surface is in fluid communication with the reservoir. A moisture control and fluid distribution system determines the moisture level of the porous surface and, upon determining that the moisture level thereof has reached a predetermined level, causes a flow of the sanitizing fluid from the reservoir to the contact material. The contact material comprises a durable, porous outer layer configured for evenly distributing the sanitizing fluid, which is relatively non-flammable and may be chlorine-based, to the contact surface and a backing layer bonded to the outer layer to provide a seal there between.
In use, the contact material may be formed as desired to cover any surface area, such as a door handle, to provide a continuously sanitized surface therefore. Optionally, the contact material may be integrated within an object to provide such object with a continuously sanitized surface therefore. The moisture control and fluid distribution system preferably comprises a fluid flow control circuit and a flow controller for controlling the flow of fluid from the reservoir to the contact material in response to an output from the fluid control circuit. At least one transducer is preferably installed at the contact surface to produce a signal correlated to the moisture level at the contact surface for input to the fluid flow control circuit.